The Durango has the standard hi/lo beam bulbs from the factory, but have been really intrigued by the new Sylvania Silverstar.
Anyone know anything about them? Are they worth the change?
I think most people here will tell you stay away from Silverstars. I had them in my Monte Carlo for about a year and had no issues, but I eventually swapped them out for some Sylvania "Cool Blue" bulbs which weren't really blue at all like a ricer but were very crisp and white.
I personally don't think Silverstars are worth the price premium. Check the lumens ratings of different bulbs and just go for the brightest, most cost-effective one. I know Silverstars probably have higher lumens ratings, but I've heard nasty stories about them always burning out prematurely.
EDIT: Actually, now that I'm browsing Sylvania's website, I put some Xtravision bulbs in my (ex)girlfriend's Sunfire when she first got it. Her stock bulbs were pretty dim. The Xtravisions were much brighter and pretty inexpensive.
Quote from: giant_mtb on January 07, 2011, 04:44:07 PM
I think most people here will tell you stay away from Silverstars.
The "why" is what I am after.
Also, I am actually considering the SS Ultra version.
Quote from: hounddog on January 07, 2011, 04:54:13 PM
The "why" is what I am after.
Also, I am actually considering the SS Ultra version.
The "why" as far as I know is, as I mentioned, premature burnout. I personally didn't experience that with the Silverstars that were in my car, and they were in there for at least two years.
Quote from: hounddog on January 07, 2011, 04:54:13 PM
The "why" is what I am after.
Also, I am actually considering the SS Ultra version.
I'll second giant's recommendation of the Xtravision bulbs. I've had them for a few months and am quite pleased. Cutoff is more defined, but there is quite a bit more illumination.
I'd say the Xtravisions have a pretty close amount of output to the Silverstars. I ran Silverstars for a while, but the bulbs do burn out rather quick (best I got was one year, and 8 months is was more realistic). The SS ultras are supposed to take care of the short lifespan, but I opted for the Xtravisions at last replacement, being half the price (and 90% of the performance IMO).
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/
Ton of information at this link, shown on the forums by R-inge originally. This guy knows his stuff and explains it better than I ever could. His info should answer all your questions.
You can also email him with your vehicle and what your expected outcome is and he recommend a setup (be it just bulbs, or hi power bulbs and a relay, etc.).
I go with the regular bulbs and would definitely do it in an SUV because you're an asshole if you run an SUV with super bright bulbs that binds all on coming traffic and people you drive behind. .. but that's just me.
IMO, lighting is probably the most myth-prone area of automotive enthusiasm.
Probe around Daniel Stern's site enough, and you'll find that Silverstars are a rip off. They do two things, which actually counteract each other. First, they increase the light output to about the legal maximum (which is defined as a certain number of lumens from a 55/60W bulb, IIRC). This is good. But then they change the color of the light by applying a filter to the lens, which actually decreases the amount of light output. This is bad, and the end result is about the same amount of light as what you get from a standard bulb. (I could be off on particulars, but the end result is right). The difference in color of the bulbs, the "whiteness," is deceiving, because they don't actually provide any more or better light. What you want is a bright, high quality, unfiltered bulb.
I'm not sure about this (i.e. it's my conjecture), but I would think that you actually want a more yellow light. Yellow light, apparently, is easier for your eyes to absorb and interpret than white or (heavens!) blue light.
Daniel Stern is very good to deal with, as he will answer questions and explain everything in detail if you ask him. My guess is that he'll recommend one of the above mentioned bulbs in a 55/60W rating. I don't think you're supposed to put high wattage bulbs in stock headlight housings due to heat, but that might differ somewhat between cars.
Quote from: NomisR on January 07, 2011, 05:32:18 PM
I go with the regular bulbs and would definitely do it in an SUV because you're an asshole if you run an SUV with super bright bulbs that binds all on coming traffic and people you drive behind. .. but that's just me.
Those are people with overwattage bulbs in crappy lamps that are misaimed on a lifted rig, in my experience. Hounddog will be fine, so long as the bulbs are legal and the lights are aimed right.
Quote from: NomisR on January 07, 2011, 05:32:18 PM
I go with the regular bulbs and would definitely do it in an SUV because you're an asshole if you run an SUV with super bright bulbs that binds all on coming traffic and people you drive behind. .. but that's just me.
I drive long distances late at night.
I really do not care if they bother someone else, well I do but not alot, because I have had one too many close calls with kids & bikes, deer, etc. OEM headlights are now about four years old, and headlights dim about 20-30% over their lifetime. Mine are probably10% dimmer than new.
I do not tailgate, I do not sit directly behind other drivers and my headlights are lower than most other SUVs because of the design of the vehicle. I also am willing to adjust my lights down slightly to reduce glare if I find a set that provide a good trade off.
If wanting to be a safer driver, at least from my end, makes me an asshole then so be it. I can have brighter lights than OEM and still have them be less offensive than the lights on my wifes stock X5. So, please, stop whining.
I don't know much about bulbs, but I saw some Philips ones and they were the brightest halogen bulbs I had ever seen
Quote from: SVT_Power on January 08, 2011, 11:45:27 AM
I don't know much about bulbs, but I saw some Philips ones and they were the brightest halogen bulbs I had ever seen
Philips X-Treme?
OSRAM Nightbreaker bulbs look pretty legit, too.
I'm going to get new bulbs soon, too.
For what it's worth, I have the XTremes in the Explorer, and they're fine. The design of the lens, reflector, etc. on the Explorer is shit (hence the driving lamps and upgraded fogs), so it's pretty hard to even notice a difference. I don't drive a huge amount at night, but I do have a 20 minute commute in the dark one way, and they've lasted more than a year so far.
Quote from: SVT_Power on January 08, 2011, 11:45:27 AM
I don't know much about bulbs, but I saw some Philips ones and they were the brightest halogen bulbs I had ever seen
How do you know that?
what do you mean how do I know that?
All I've ever heard and experienced with Silverstars is that they burn out in like a month.
Appreciate the posts.
Think I will do some more research, even perhaps contact that fellow as suggested.
Thanks.
Have you considered doing an HID retrofit?
Not really.
You might want to. With a 4300k HID bulb, you get much more white light. It's a little pricey, but I think it's very worth it.
If you want an HID setup that's not total shit, it's more than a little pricey.
Quote from: SVT_Power on January 10, 2011, 04:45:36 AM
what do you mean how do I know that?
How do you know they were brighter than any other bulb? Did you compare one to the other directly? Plot them on an isocandela (which is something I just like to type, but also a real and useful thing)? Or did you just see a bright light and call it shiny? ;)
Christ, get this HID retrofit shit outta here! With those lamps he'd likely blind the world, (along with himself when it rains or snows), and don't give me this crap about aiming them down...
Quote from: R-inge on January 12, 2011, 05:43:47 AM
Christ, get this HID retrofit shit outta here! With those lamps he'd likely blind the world, (along with himself when it rains or snows), and don't give me this crap about aiming them down...
Don't HID bulbs give off about the same amount (slightly more?) of light, but are just typically used in projector-beam housings which are usually perceived as being "brighter?"
Quote from: R-inge on January 12, 2011, 05:43:47 AM
Christ, get this HID retrofit shit outta here! With those lamps he'd likely blind the world, (along with himself when it rains or snows), and don't give me this crap about aiming them down...
I'm talking about a proper retrofit, typically done by mounting a proper hid projector into the existing headlight housing. Done properly like that it's no different than if the car had come with them stock.
Of course he
could just swap in some hid bulbs lik I have :mask:
The you run the risk of blinding everyone in sight.
Fortunately for me both my cars were available from the factory with hids. The only difference on the CSX is the Casper in front of the bulb so the pattern is actually quite defined and has little glare after the swap.
The RSX didn't handle the swap as well. There isn't really any glare there either but the light output seems to be less than the stock halogens. If it wasn't such a pain in the ass to change them on that car the stock bulbs would have been back in there already.
In any case I'm using 4300k bulbs in both and it's a really nice pure white light. I've had my CSX next to a coworkers CL type s (factory hids) and the color is exactl the same as it should be. I also used that car to compare output pattern since it also uses reflectors and again damn near the same.
So while I don't usually recommend just swapping for hid bulbs it's not always a disaster depending on the stock housing.
Quote from: VTEC_Inside on January 12, 2011, 07:29:48 AM
I'm talking about a proper retrofit, typically done by mounting a proper hid projector into the existing headlight housing. Done properly like that it's no different than if the car had come with them stock.
Of course he could just swap in some hid bulbs lik I have :mask:
The you run the risk of blinding everyone in sight.
Fortunately for me both my cars were available from the factory with hids. The only difference on the CSX is the Casper in front of the bulb so the pattern is actually quite defined and has little glare after the swap.
The RSX didn't handle the swap as well. There isn't really any glare there either but the light output seems to be less than the stock halogens. If it wasn't such a pain in the ass to change them on that car the stock bulbs would have been back in there already.
In any case I'm using 4300k bulbs in both and it's a really nice pure white light. I've had my CSX next to a coworkers CL type s (factory hids) and the color is exactl the same as it should be. I also used that car to compare output pattern since it also uses reflectors and again damn near the same.
So while I don't usually recommend just swapping for hid bulbs it's not always a disaster depending on the stock housing.
So HIDs works ok on RSX? Too bad it's such a pain in the ass to swap out the headlights in that damn car.. i'd actually consider it so I can start blinding the SUVs.
Quote from: NomisR on January 12, 2011, 12:39:31 PM
So HIDs works ok on RSX? Too bad it's such a pain in the ass to swap out the headlights in that damn car.. i'd actually consider it so I can start blinding the SUVs.
They work ok in the sense that they aren't a blinding mess. I don't think the light output is as good as the halogens though. I've actually adjusted them higher by half a turn of the adjuster to get the distance back from them. I think they still need another quarter turn, but not sure yet.
And if they don't provide more light or more focused light, then they don't work. ;)
Quote from: giant_mtb on January 12, 2011, 06:51:52 AM
Don't HID bulbs give off about the same amount (slightly more?) of light, but are just typically used in projector-beam housings which are usually perceived as being "brighter?"
Well, the average halogen puts out around 1200-1700 lumens. An OE xenon arc HID in the 4000k range puts out over 3000 lumens. So it's quite a bit brighter. Hence why it bugs me when people slap them in stock reflectors. But as VTEC aptly pointed out, a high quality retrofit is no worse for other drivers than an OEM system, and will improve your visibility immensely. The problem is that most ppl aren't willing to dish out the big bucks for that.
Really big bucks. Like, damn, they're just headlights, and this is coming from a guy who just upgraded every headlight he owns!
Its still worth looking into a proper retrofit if it's something that is important to you though. There are a number of companies that will do the retrofit plus you may be able to find some stock housings that have already been modified for a reasonable price.
Quote from: R-inge on January 12, 2011, 11:25:55 PM
Well, the average halogen puts out around 1200-1700 lumens. An OE xenon arc HID in the 4000k range puts out over 3000 lumens. So it's quite a bit brighter. Hence why it bugs me when people slap them in stock reflectors. But as VTEC aptly pointed out, a high quality retrofit is no worse for other drivers than an OEM system, and will improve your visibility immensely. The problem is that most ppl aren't willing to dish out the big bucks for that.
Ahh, gotcha. If I were to ever put HID bulbs in my car, it'd just be for high beams, that's for sure.
I would love to have 'em for low beams, myself. Just buying the STI lamps would set me back $2000 or so. :mask:
Sorry, my hubris causes people to miss my real stance with HID retrofits, which is that they are fine as long as they are done well. Just putting HID bulbs in a lamp designed for halogen bulbs is however a disaster, and it always bugs me to no end, especially when passing one in bad weather or when one is behind me in traffic.
That's why I'd only use 'em on high beams, assuming the beam ended up staying correct and the HID bulb was in fact beneficial.
Quote from: hounddog on January 08, 2011, 08:42:50 AM
I drive long distances late at night.
I really do not care if they bother someone else, well I do but not alot, because I have had one too many close calls with kids & bikes, deer, etc. OEM headlights are now about four years old, and headlights dim about 20-30% over their lifetime. Mine are probably10% dimmer than new.
I do not tailgate, I do not sit directly behind other drivers and my headlights are lower than most other SUVs because of the design of the vehicle. I also am willing to adjust my lights down slightly to reduce glare if I find a set that provide a good trade off.
If wanting to be a safer driver, at least from my end, makes me an asshole then so be it. I can have brighter lights than OEM and still have them be less offensive than the lights on my wifes stock X5. So, please, stop whining.
In retrospect, I was a bit too quick to so blithely dismiss this issue.
I have spent a considerable amount of time paying attention to others reactions to the old stock bulbs in the truck now, and I have noticed they are set a tad high from the factory. When I pull up behind someone I notice they are pointed slightly above the trunklid on almost every passenger car (my headlights are actually at or below that line so they are pointed slightly up), and well above the bumper on SUVs and pickups.
The drivers who seem to be most effected are those in 'cute utes' and it seems the lights now point directly in their eyes. Get my vehicle slightly above theirs on the road and I immediately get brighted by them. I had paid zero attention to this in the past, but it is clearly an issue.
I also noticed that with a full tank of gas they point directly at the bottom half of stop signs, which are supposed to be about six feet in Michigan. So, I am going to spend tonight moving them down bit by bit and see how they look. Tomorrow when I pick up my rotors I will try a set of those Xtravisions and see how I like them. Everything I have read points to those being the best for a vehicle like mine.
I really appreciate the opinions, fellas.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html (http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html)
Quote from: hounddog on January 26, 2011, 07:11:46 PM
In retrospect, I was a bit too quick to so blithely dismiss this issue.
I have spent a considerable amount of time paying attention to others reactions to the old stock bulbs in the truck now, and I have noticed they are set a tad high from the factory. When I pull up behind someone I notice they are pointed slightly above the trunklid on almost every passenger car (my headlights are actually at or below that line so they are pointed slightly up), and well above the bumper on SUVs and pickups.
The drivers who seem to be most effected are those in 'cute utes' and it seems the lights now point directly in their eyes. Get my vehicle slightly above theirs on the road and I immediately get brighted by them. I had paid zero attention to this in the past, but it is clearly an issue.
I also noticed that with a full tank of gas they point directly at the bottom half of stop signs, which are supposed to be about six feet in Michigan. So, I am going to spend tonight moving them down bit by bit and see how they look. Tomorrow when I pick up my rotors I will try a set of those Xtravisions and see how I like them. Everything I have read points to those being the best for a vehicle like mine.
I really appreciate the opinions, fellas.
Trucks/SUVs just have that issue inherently. The best thing IMO is to just set them to spec, ( see Rupert's link ) and just leave it at that.
Good thing I am not you then. :lol: They are spec now, and people seem unhappy with them so I intend to fix that. A little.
Bought the lights, was a little too "tired" after the wine to go out and work on the lights. Figured it was better to stay inside and not try to test them the re-aim on the road.
A good project for tonight.
Spec is spec for good reason.
Quote from: Rupert on January 27, 2011, 06:58:14 PM
Spec is spec for good reason.
And spec for a Chevy Silverado puts the (surprisingly bright) lights directly into my rear view mirror. Now, it is what it is, and I have no foaming rage for the Silverado driver, but if he wants to lower the aim of the lights a little, it's something I like.
Spec may be spec, but there is usually room for improvement. Ever get a Shimano rear derailleur to shift with a Campy 9-speed drivetrain? Far from spec, but it can be done with good results.
Yeah, but that's basically a tuning issue. Headlights are a critical safety item. :huh:
Like, I wouldn't insist on making cantilever levers work with linear-pull brakes. :lol:
Quote from: The Pirate on January 27, 2011, 08:10:22 PM
And spec for a Chevy Silverado puts the (surprisingly bright) lights directly into my rear view mirror. Now, it is what it is, and I have no foaming rage for the Silverado driver, but if he wants to lower the aim of the lights a little, it's something I like.
Spec may be spec, but there is usually room for improvement. Ever get a Shimano rear derailleur to shift with a Campy 9-speed drivetrain? Far from spec, but it can be done with good results.
omgosh da lights are right in my rearview mirror when da truck is 8 feet behind me at a stoplight cuz the truck is taller den my car so it just happenz to be dat way
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
No dude, tall-ass trucks with bright-ass headlights suck ass.
I'm aware of this.
Quote from: giant_mtb on January 27, 2011, 08:43:17 PM
omgosh da lights are right in my rearview mirror when da truck is 8 feet behind me at a stoplight cuz the truck is taller den my car so it just happenz to be dat way
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
Read more closely. From my original post:
Now, it is what it is, and I have no foaming rage for the Silverado driver.
Yes, it's annoying. No, I don't complain nor make effigy pots of Silverado drivers.
Quote from: Rupert on January 27, 2011, 08:40:58 PM
Yeah, but that's basically a tuning issue. Headlights are a critical safety item. :huh:
Like, I wouldn't insist on making cantilever levers work with linear-pull brakes. :lol:
I don't see the lack of safety with headlights aimed down a few degrees from stock. Up is certainly not ideal for other drivers, but down will possibly improve the lighting pattern for other drivers.
Quote from: Rupert on January 27, 2011, 08:48:48 PM
No dude, tall-ass trucks with bright-ass headlights suck ass.
The worst? Lifted trucks with PnP HID's. Goddamn.
At least retrofit the bloody thing properly if you wanna switch to HID's.
Quote from: The Pirate on January 27, 2011, 10:08:20 PM
I don't see the lack of safety with headlights aimed down a few degrees from stock. Up is certainly not ideal for other drivers, but down will possibly improve the lighting pattern for other drivers.
The light won't reach as far in front of the truck, and that's bad. Glare-y headlights mostly come from poor design (too much scatter), but aiming any headlight down from where they were designed to be aimed reduces the amount of road that you can see.
For example, there are two vehicles, one with headlights 2 ft off the ground, and the other with headlights 4 ft off the ground. On both cars, the usable light of the low beams reaches 100 ft down the road. If you aim the taller lights down, which might be nice for other drivers, you reduce the usable light. Just a few degrees of angle reduction can easily result in tens of feet of reduced usable light. Do the math (in the example above, 3 degrees of reduced angle means 50 feet shorter usable light!).
Quote from: Rupert on January 27, 2011, 08:48:48 PM
No dude, tall-ass trucks with bright-ass headlights suck ass.
The Durango is not "tall-ass" and the issue with it having "bright-ass" headlights is because the bulbs are an inefficient older design. To compensate and gain acceptable "brightness" they are aimed literally into the line of sight for people driving smaller suvs and cars. (which, by the way, is statutorily illegal in Michigan)
By purchasing lights which are "twice as bright" but lowering the setting a couple degrees takes them out of the line of sight of oncoming motorists I lose almost no distance, but gain more detail and 50% more side vision ability. And, brings my stock headlights into compliance with state law with respect to alignment and gets line of sight improvement for oncoming drivers.
A proper tradeoff.
Quote from: Rupert on January 28, 2011, 02:22:21 AM
The light won't reach as far in front of the truck, and that's bad. Glare-y headlights mostly come from poor design (too much scatter), but aiming any headlight down from where they were designed to be aimed reduces the amount of road that you can see.
I have to ask, then; why does my wifes X5, which has very focused Xenons, give off ridiculous glare?
Answer; because her lights are bright. Anytime you have headlights which emit large amount of light, purposely aimed in a direction which requires someone to look at them there will be glare. Until we are able to come up with some type of very advanced FLIR, or other ultra-cool technology, glare will always be present.
Our TSX's HID lights have an incredibly well defined cutoff that is often just below the top of the trunklid of passenger cars. A small amount of glare is unavoidable, but drivers are spared from the brunt of the light output -- there is a huge different in luminous flux above and below that line.
Quote from: giant_mtb on January 27, 2011, 08:43:17 PM
omgosh da lights are right in my rearview mirror when da truck is 8 feet behind me at a stoplight cuz the truck is taller den my car so it just happenz to be dat way
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
:nutty:
What the heck is wrong with you? It's a legitimate irritation and it's not like Pirate was even mad or anything, just a statement. :nutty:
It's pretty terrible in the Miata but at least I can just not look at the rearview mirror and be OK with it. Everyone else I know puts their side mirrors in so close that the truck's headlights behind them just shines into their faces which is way worse.
I'm just an asshole. :(
No, giant, you are one of the few here who is not an asshole.
And, if you are bothered in your tiny car by the lights behind you; buy a bigger car.
:lol:
I'm not bothered by it. Like Pirate said, it is what it is (I wasn't directing my sarcastic, asshole comment directly at him). The beauty of the mirror-flip!
Quote from: hounddog on January 28, 2011, 01:18:40 PM
The Durango is not "tall-ass" and the issue with it having "bright-ass" headlights is because the bulbs are an inefficient older design. To compensate and gain acceptable "brightness" they are aimed literally into the line of sight for people driving smaller suvs and cars. (which, by the way, is statutorily illegal in Michigan)
By purchasing lights which are "twice as bright" but lowering the setting a couple degrees takes them out of the line of sight of oncoming motorists I lose almost no distance, but gain more detail and 50% more side vision ability. And, brings my stock headlights into compliance with state law with respect to alignment and gets line of sight improvement for oncoming drivers.
A proper tradeoff.
You will never get safe "twice-as-bright" bulbs in there, including the Xtravisions, or whatever high-output bulb you have, because, if you increase wattage very much, you run the risk of melting wires, the reflector, the lens, etc. And you must mean the reflector is an inefficient older design, which is exactly what I said before. Poor design = lots of glare. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do to fix poor design beyond adding auxiliary lights or replacing the whole headlight assembly (and good luck with almost any modern vehicle).
Remember, not all headlights (reflectors, lenses, etc.) are equal. Some focus the light
and have a sharp cutoff, others don't do either. If your headlights are aimed to spec, as shown in the aiming link I posted, then they are not "aimed literally into the line of sight for people driving smaller suvs and cars." However, they are (or may be; I haven't seen them) a crappy design that scatters a lot of light upwards. You are not going to fix this by pointing them down; just reduce the extent of your usable light.
I would think that you would know this, but if your lights are stock and aimed to Dodge spec, then they comply with the law. Dodge could not manufacture and sell thousands of vehicles that don't comply with a law like that.
Quote from: hounddog on January 28, 2011, 01:24:17 PM
I have to ask, then; why does my wifes X5, which has very focused Xenons, give off ridiculous glare?
Answer; because her lights are bright. Anytime you have headlights which emit large amount of light, purposely aimed in a direction which requires someone to look at them there will be glare. Until we are able to come up with some type of very advanced FLIR, or other ultra-cool technology, glare will always be present.
Answer; because her lights are bright
and they aren't as focused as you think. Also, they're tall.
Quote from: giant_mtb on January 28, 2011, 03:03:36 PM
I'm not bothered by it. Like Pirate said, it is what it is (I wasn't directing my sarcastic, asshole comment directly at him). The beauty of the mirror-flip!
Hopefully you didn't pony up all that money for the german luxo-mobile and still got the flippy thing for the mirror. But then again, the germans do seem to want so much goddamn $$$$$$$ for everything...
And if you want ridiculous amount of light with good cutoff, hook up a HID projector set up to 55W. Yes 55W. None of that wimpy 35W stuff :lol:
Just a side comment, I don't particularly recommend it if you want to be courteous to other drivers at night. I know a guy who runs that set up, it's ridiculous. It's not aimed wrong or anything, it's just a ridiculous amount of light.
A ridiculous amount of crappy light.
Quote from: SVT_Power on January 29, 2011, 12:26:20 AM
Hopefully you didn't pony up all that money for the german luxo-mobile and still got the flippy thing for the mirror. But then again, the germans do seem to want so much goddamn $$$$$$$ for everything...
Ya. The auto-dimming mirror was part of the $400M technology package.
:facepalm:
Quote from: Rupert on January 28, 2011, 02:22:21 AM
Just a few degrees of angle reduction can easily result in tens of feet of reduced usable light. Do the math (in the example above, 3 degrees of reduced angle means 50 feet shorter usable light!).
State law he said. They can't manufacture cars outside federal law and sell them here but they can sell cars that don't meet "letter of the law" for state law. Don't have the time right now but when I do I'll quote the MVC on headlights for you.
Quote from: giant_mtb on January 29, 2011, 09:27:09 AM
Ya. The auto-dimming mirror was part of the $400M technology package.
:facepalm:
Die Definition von Luxus Deutsch
Quote from: rohan on January 29, 2011, 11:21:09 AM
State law he said. They can't manufacture cars outside federal law and sell them here but they can sell cars that don't meet "letter of the law" for state law. Don't have the time right now but when I do I'll quote the MVC on headlights for you.
I'd like to see it. They make special cars for CA, after all.
Home now but when I get back and have a minute I'll find it for you.
Quote from: Rupert on January 29, 2011, 02:10:50 AM
A ridiculous amount of crappy light.
Crappy light? Not sure why it's crappy. He already had factory HID's, so I saw some before and after pics. It's just like before, but just a shitload brighter :huh:
Pics don't count. You can't tell anything about anything with pics.
Quote from: Rupert on January 30, 2011, 01:21:27 PM
Pics don't count. You can't tell anything about anything with pics.
If that isn't about the worst generalization I've ever heard...
:lol:
Quote from: giant_mtb on January 30, 2011, 01:27:33 PM
If that isn't about the worst generalization I've ever heard...
:lol:
Not with lighting it isn't. If and only if you use the same camera on the same settings at the same angle at the same time of day with the same weather and other ambient light, then you can tell a little about color (mostly that the lights are a different color or not, and not what color they are), and you can tell which one is brighter (though not how much brighter), and you can tell that there is a difference in beam pattern (though not what the beam pattern is). These things require surprisingly sophisticated measuring equipment.
Lights in, aimed lower to take the light to the upper portion of passenger car trunklids (they no longer aimed "up" but a little more down) and the distance seems to be almost exactly the same, as in: I can see no noticable difference between old and new for distance loss. I found that the driver side was aimed much too high from the factory, higher than the passenger side which I think was much of the "over height" I was noticing.
I get vastly superior side lighting, and the detail/clarity/color of the light is amazing compared to OEM. Best $30+ I have spent in some time.
Next up; fog light upgrade to Xtravision bulbs.
Quote from: hounddog on January 30, 2011, 06:42:59 PM
Lights in, aimed lower to take the light to the upper portion of passenger car trunklids (they no longer aimed "up" but a little more down) and the distance seems to be almost exactly the same, as in: I can see no noticable difference between old and new for distance loss. I found that the driver side was aimed much too high from the factory, higher than the passenger side which I think was much of the "over height" I was noticing.
I get vastly superior side lighting, and the detail/clarity/color of the light is amazing compared to OEM. Best $30+ I have spent in some time.
Next up; fog light upgrade to Xtravision bulbs.
Cool. I put Xtravisions in my car two months ago, and have been very happy as well. Thought about upgrading the driving lights too, but the bulbs are PITA to get to, so I'm not going to do anything til I have to (when they burn out). The driving lights don't see much use either, as I leave them off when I'm not on deserted roads.
The driver's side was aimed higher than the passenger side? Yeah, that's not normal. It's usually the opposite.
Quote from: hounddog on January 30, 2011, 06:42:59 PM
Lights in, aimed lower to take the light to the upper portion of passenger car trunklids (they no longer aimed "up" but a little more down) and the distance seems to be almost exactly the same, as in: I can see no noticable difference between old and new for distance loss. I found that the driver side was aimed much too high from the factory, higher than the passenger side which I think was much of the "over height" I was noticing.
I get vastly superior side lighting, and the detail/clarity/color of the light is amazing compared to OEM. Best $30+ I have spent in some time.
Next up; fog light upgrade to Xtravision bulbs.
Are you sure that your lights were aimed properly? It sounds like they were (and may still be) fucked up. I would follow the aiming instructions in the link I posted and see what that's like.
With factory fogs it's usually better to just upgrade the whole light. The issue with those tends to be beam cutoff, not brightness (unless you're one of those fogs on all the time people).
Quote from: Rupert on January 30, 2011, 01:21:27 PM
Pics don't count. You can't tell anything about anything with pics.
Well I haven't seen the stock HID light output but currently it just looks like the road ahead is illuminated by HID's, but like 4 HIDs instead of 2. :lol:
Quote from: Rupert on January 30, 2011, 11:16:56 PM
With factory fogs it's usually better to just upgrade the whole light. The issue with those tends to be beam cutoff, not brightness (unless you're one of those fogs on all the time people).
Are fogs really necessary?
Maybe I'm in the minority here but quite frankly, I think cars don't even need foglights.
Eh, I think it depends. I have driven in cars with headlights that were good in the fog/bad weather stock (sharp cutoff), and I've driven in (a lot of) cars that totally suck. There is a definite difference between good headlights and bad headlights. I put good fogs on the Explorer (actually just got that project finished tonight), because the stock headlights are really scattered and totally suck at everything. This is also why I put dedicated driving lights on.
Quote from: hounddog on January 30, 2011, 06:42:59 PM
I found that the driver side was aimed much too high from the factory, higher than the passenger side which I think was much of the "over height" I was noticing.
Quote from: Rupert on January 30, 2011, 11:15:08 PM
Are you sure that your lights were aimed properly? It sounds like they were (and may still be) fucked up.
:ohyeah:
QuoteI would follow the aiming instructions in the link I posted and see what that's like.
I followed the spec sheet I got from the dealership- then I lowered them 2.25 degrees. ( yes, that is my guess :lol:)
Did the spec sheet involve aiming them on a wall 25 ft away?
No, it involved taking one of those screwie-driverie-thingeries and twisting one of those screw looking devices until the drivers on the freeway stopped brighting me. Still kept honking alot, however.
Very annoying.
:facepalm:
I seriously doubt you could put cereal and milk together and come up with anything edible, based on your skills at reading/following instructions as demonstrated here. :lol:
R-inge, do you think those HIR bulbs are legit?
Based on the specs, very much so. For the same wattage you are looking at like a 50% increase in lumens IIRC. It's sad that they didn't catch on, or rather that they aren't more mainstream. It's a great technology which would improve lighting at a fraction of the cost of HIDs for every car on the road...
I think the 9011 fits in my high beam sockets if I modify the base slightly. Should be perfect for those long drives through South Park to see the family. Once I get the 75w fogs and harness in I'll look into that final piece of the lighting puzzle for my car.
Yeah, I thought they seemed pretty legitimate. I'm thinking I'll get some for my high-beams when I have some extra cash laying around.
Quote from: R-inge on February 04, 2011, 04:26:37 PM
:facepalm:
I seriously doubt you could put cereal and milk together and come up with anything edible, based on your skills at reading/following instructions as demonstrated here. :lol:
I gave up on him after that one...
:lol:
Quote from: R-inge on February 04, 2011, 04:26:37 PM
:facepalm:
I seriously doubt you could put cereal and milk together and come up with anything edible, based on your skills at reading/following instructions as demonstrated here. :lol:
Quote from: Rupert on February 07, 2011, 11:58:47 PM
I gave up on him after that one...
:lol:
You guys. :nutty: :tounge:
Do you really believe that anyone could be so dim?
Honestly?
All I have to say about that is; :nono: :rolleyes: :lol:
Quote from: hounddog on February 08, 2011, 01:33:54 PM
Do you really believe that anyone could be so dim?
Teehee. It's a thread about light bulbs. And he said dim.
Oooohhhhhhh, snap.
Quote from: hounddog on February 08, 2011, 01:33:54 PM
You guys. :nutty: :tounge:
Do you really believe that anyone could be so dim?
Honestly?
All I have to say about that is; :nono: :rolleyes: :lol:
Honestly? Yes.
:rolleyes:
BTW, I finally found and bought a bottle of your revered Wee Heavy. I'll let you know how I like it.
If you like heavy brew like Lions, you should like this as well.
That is not to say they are the same, but that they share the same heaviness.
Not bad. A good quaffing beer. ;)
Enjoying some Easy Street Wheat atm... yum.
Just purchased a set of Silverstar Ultras for the Ram, high beams only for now. Sale price of $42. :rolleyes:
Anyway, the salesman told me that I need to be sure to use a conductive grease with them to keep the bulbs cooler and to keep them from overheating the pigtail on the harness.
I would like them in before dark today, Tuesday. Any opinions on that?
Never heard of using headlight grease, but then again I've never used Silverstars either. :huh:
It is actually sparkplug grease.
Do you see it there from the factory?
My opinion?
Take the headlights back to the store you bought them from and get a refund. Silverstar/Silverstar Ultras are a complete waste of money.
Quote from: 93JC on January 10, 2012, 01:36:06 PM
My opinion?
Take the headlights back to the store you bought them from and get a refund. Silverstar/Silverstar Ultras are a complete waste of money.
I agree.
Fuck me with a stick;
LAMP
1. Disconnect and isolate the battery negative cable.
2. Remove the four plastic push-in fasteners that secure the upper radiator seal to the grille support and both fender ledges.
3. Remove the two plastic push-pin rivets that secure the upper radiator seal to the radiator.
4. Remove the upper radiator seal from the vehicle.
NOTE: It is not necessary to remove the grille from the front of the vehicle to service the front lamp units. The illustration shows the grille removed only to assist in clearly identifying the locations of the front lamp unit mounting provisions.
5. Remove the screw that secures the upper mounting tab of the front lamp unit to the Front End Module (FEM) carrier (also known as the radiator closure) .
6. Using a socket with a magnetic insert or with a small piece of butyl tape inserted, reach down between the grille and the FEM carrier to access, remove and retrieve the screw that secures the lower mounting tab of the front lamp unit.
7. Remove the fastener that secures the tab at the bottom of the access panel to the front of the front wheel house splash shield .
8. Reach through the access opening of the wheel house splash shield and lift the slide lock upward far enough to disengage it from the lock post integral to the back of the front lamp unit housing .
9. From the front of the vehicle, grasp the outboard edge of the front lamp unit firmly and pull it straight forward to disengage the ball stud from the plastic grommet in the FEM carrier.
10. Pull the lamp away from the front of the vehicle far enough to access and disconnect the two wire harness connections from the park/turn signal bulb socket and either the headlamp bulb on vehicles with dual headlamps, or from the headlamp pigtail wire harness on vehicles with quad headlamps .
11. Remove the front lamp unit from the vehicle.
Never mind.
If the truck's still under warranty and the aftermarket lights burn up the harness it's not covered. Just sayin'
Quote from: 93JC on January 10, 2012, 01:36:06 PM
My opinion?
Take the headlights back to the store you bought them from and get a refund. Silverstar/Silverstar Ultras are a complete waste of money.
+1 big time.
Quote from: hounddog on January 10, 2012, 11:45:07 AM
It is actually sparkplug grease.
Which is actually dielectric grease.
Keep with stock wattage on factory headlights, or you risk melting stuff. Don't even bother with Silverstars; they aren't brighter, just whiter, which is actually a bad thing.
Quote from: Rupert on January 10, 2012, 08:10:08 PM
Which is actually dielectric grease.
:orly:
:ohyeah:
Quote from: Rupert on January 10, 2012, 08:11:40 PM
Keep with stock wattage on factory headlights, or you risk melting stuff. Don't even bother with Silverstars; they aren't brighter, just whiter, which is actually a bad thing.
All wattage must fall within federal limits.
I am fairly sure they increase the amperage to the filament thread to get a brighter light, and yes, it cuts the life of the bulb.
Quote from: shp4man on January 10, 2012, 03:27:52 PM
If the truck's still under warranty and the aftermarket lights burn up the harness it's not covered. Just sayin'
Not so, says the man behind the desk at the Dodge store.
Quote from: VTEC_Inside on January 10, 2011, 12:02:42 PM
All I've ever heard and experienced with Silverstars is that they burn out in like a month.
I had a pair that burned out in three weeks. This was about 4 years ago. I was highly unimpressed.
Quote from: hounddog on January 11, 2012, 08:45:15 AM
All wattage must fall within federal limits.
I am fairly sure they increase the amperage to the filament thread to get a brighter light, and yes, it cuts the life of the bulb.
Voltage is pretty much constant, so... how do they increase the current ("amperage") without increasing the power ("wattage")?
Quote from: 93JC on January 11, 2012, 10:51:20 AM
Voltage is pretty much constant, so... how do they increase the current ("amperage") without increasing the power ("wattage")?
:lol:
I have a great dislike of unnecessarily bright headlights. They pose a greater danger to oncoming traffic than any advantage gained by the user. I've never found it necessary to even use highbeams while driving at night.
Quote from: FoMoJo on January 11, 2012, 12:11:19 PM
I have a great dislike of unnecessarily bright headlights. They pose a greater danger to oncoming traffic than any advantage gained by the user. I've never found it necessary to even use highbeams while driving at night.
:hesaid:
The use of high beams in traffic is an epidemic. The people who use them in rain and snow are especially dangerous.
I do use high beams on empty rural highways, as they help in spotting deer.
:hesaid: x2
I use my high beams on empty rural highways, and that's it. I think many (most?) modern headlights are too bright and create a dangerous amount of glare for oncoming traffic. Frankly I think HID lights should be illegal. They're too bright.
I also despise the attitude that some drivers have toward others, saying "I don't care if my lights are [too] bright: they help me see and I feel much safer." Those sorts of people are colossal assholes.
Quote from: 93JC on January 11, 2012, 01:48:03 PM
:hesaid: x2
I use my high beams on empty rural highways, and that's it. I think many (most?) modern headlights are too bright and create a dangerous amount of glare for oncoming traffic. Frankly I think HID lights should be illegal. They're too bright.
I also despise the attitude that some drivers have toward others, saying "I don't care if my lights are [too] bright: they help me see and I feel much safer." Those sorts of people are colossal assholes.
:hesaid:
I feel like the ideal lies somewhere in between. I was driving my friend's Previa van this morning to work and the lighting is so dismal that it's frankly unsafe at night. On the other hand, my overwattage bulbs which put out 2/3 the lumens of xenon HIDs give me great night vision including at high speed. I'd say the biggest offenders though are the Jeeps, trucks, and the like with ineffective reflectors which create a ton of glare without any appreciable increase in visibility for the driver. Xenon HIDs, while annoying, are certainly less of an issue AFAIC as long as they are in effective projectors with leveling motors.
Oh, and Silverstars are junk. Buy the Philips Xtremepower bulbs instead.
Quote from: S204STi on January 11, 2012, 04:51:08 PM
Oh, and Silverstars are junk. Buy the Philips Xtremepower bulbs instead.
That's the one. I couldn't remember the name, but they're in my Explorer. Maybe it's the crappiness of the lenses, but I can't see the difference between those and crappy econo-bulbs.
Quote from: hounddog on January 11, 2012, 08:45:15 AM
All wattage must fall within federal limits.
I am fairly sure they increase the amperage to the filament thread to get a brighter light, and yes, it cuts the life of the bulb.
http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html (http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/blue/good/good.html)
All lumens must also fall within the legal limits. Brighter bulbs have better filaments and better gas components, and it's these things that cut the life of the bulb. Your Silverstars have these better filaments and gases, but then they ruin the whole thing with a blue filter, so you end up with a bulb that lands in the low end of the allowable lumen range while not lasting very long.
Quote from: Northlands on January 11, 2012, 10:46:50 AM
I had a pair that burned out in three weeks. This was about 4 years ago. I was highly unimpressed.
Three weeks? Sounds like you got oils from your hands on the bulb glass. :nono:
I have over-wattage driving lamps on the Explorer, which turn off with the high beams, and I use them in the appropriate contexts. I also have over-wattage bulbs in the Porsche as low beams, but the lamps are so low and the cut-off so sharp that no one is ever bothered (I can see the cutoff when driving, and the bright part doesn't ever hit anyone's mirrors or windshield).
Quote from: hounddog on January 10, 2012, 11:01:49 AM
Just purchased a set of Silverstar Ultras for the Ram, high beams only for now. Sale price of $42. :rolleyes:
Anyway, the salesman told me that I need to be sure to use a conductive grease with them to keep the bulbs cooler and to keep them from overheating the pigtail on the harness.
I would like them in before dark today, Tuesday. Any opinions on that?
Are these the kind of headlights that are so damn brigth and have such a poor pattern that the jerks who have them on their cars only wind up blinding and pissing off other drivers? If so do us all a favor and take them back and get a refund.
Quote from: 93JC on January 11, 2012, 01:48:03 PM
:hesaid: x2
I use my high beams on empty rural highways, and that's it. I think many (most?) modern headlights are too bright and create a dangerous amount of glare for oncoming traffic. Frankly I think HID lights should be illegal. They're too bright.
I also despise the attitude that some drivers have toward others, saying "I don't care if my lights are [too] bright: they help me see and I feel much safer." Those sorts of people are super colossal assholes.
Fixed it for you.
I couldn't agree more.
Since I started driving the Miata to work (it's still dark when I leave the house) I notice every out of alignment headlight and every clown who feels they need their driving lights on while on a city street or a freeway. They ought to make a headlight alignment test mandatory with the state inspection and fail those with misaligned headlights.
I very seldom ever use my high beams and then it's only on long road trips, late at night or early morning on virtually deserted roads.
Yeah, I always curse those with HIDs when they're facing me on the road. Then I quickly remember I have HIDs.....
Quote from: MiataJohn on January 12, 2012, 07:11:12 AM
Are these the kind of headlights that are so damn brigth and have such a poor pattern that the jerks who have them on their cars only wind up blinding and pissing off other drivers? If so do us all a favor and take them back and get a refund.
It was just the bulbs, which doesn't have any bearing on the beam pattern. Since they were apparently legal wattage, and they're Silverstars (i.e. no brighter than regular bulbs), no problems with glare over stock.
I think I use Silverstar Ultras. IIRC they've tended to last me a little more than a year. Not a super white light but I like them. Like Rupert, I think my cutoff is pretty low so I don't think they tend to bother other drivers. I think I'd get people popping me with high beams at least once in a while if they did.
They aren't any brighter than regular bulbs, so I wouldn't expect them to bother anyone.
Quote from: Rupert on January 12, 2012, 08:41:58 PM
They aren't any brighter than regular bulbs, so I wouldn't expect them to bother anyone.
I though there was a problem with some bulbs being different which caused a problem, even in the stock housing.
From:
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
49 CFR Part 571
[Docket No. 01-8885; Notice 01]
RIN 2127-AH81
Glare from Headlamps and other Front Mounted Lamps
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108;
Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment
Link: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/glare.html I've put some of this below in bold.
It's an interesting paper, worth reading.
2.3 - Glare from HID Look-alike Bulbs and Other Colored Headlamp Bulbs
The advent of HIDs on more expensive vehicles has spawned attempts at achieving halogen-based look-a-likes. These are achieved by using coated, tinted, filtered or otherwise altered glass capsules for the halogen headlamp bulbs that can be used in place of the OEM bulbs. Alternatively, aftermarket headlamp housings with similar coating, tinting and filtering are being sold as replacements for OEM headlamps. The goal of many of these bulbs is to emit light that is different than an OEM halogen headlamp bulb, while attempting to maintain a headlamp's legally complying performance. The whiter light is offered as being closer in color to natural daylight, thus the claim is that drivers see better with the same amount of emitted light. This is not unique in motor vehicle lighting history; in fact, it is the same claim and intent as accompanied the 1929 Tung-Sol Blue-Wite TM headlamp bulb. The yellow variants of colored bulbs are intended to be more useful in wet weather where the color, still measured to be white, is more yellow than OEM halogen bulbs. The intent is to offer a color of light less likely to be reflected back from precipitation and fog. At the other extreme of colored aftermarket bulbs, are those that are very blue or multicolored. The multicolored bulbs are the result of many different colors being emitted by the bulb in various directions, instead of white light being emitted in all directions as occurs in normal halogen bulbs.
Generically categorized as "blue" bulbs, all of these aftermarket bulbs have become popular among auto enthusiasts and some other drivers, either because the bulbs produce the look of a more expensive vehicle at a fraction of the cost, or claims of improved visibility. Many of the bulbs are from well known bulb manufacturers, others are from less familiar companies and importers. Depending on the make and model of bulb desired, some are sold by auto parts stores and mass merchandisers, others are sold by specialty auto accessory stores and through the Internet. While there are no reasons to believe that all such bulbs cause headlamps to perform badly, many such bulbs do just that, as explained below.
The designing original equipment headlamp bulbs is a precise science, fraught with many design compromises in order to achieve the desired balance of energy usage, service life, emitted light and robust optical images of the filament. In general, headlamp bulb designs take years of thoughtful work in consultation with the designers of headlamp optics. The OEM bulb design is standardized and codified by industry consensus in SAE and International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) standards so that all bulb manufacturers can build and sell bulbs with the expectation that they will perform in a safe and satisfactory manner in all headlamps in service. This standardization is incorporated into Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, Lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment (FMVSS 108) by referencing information about each bulb. This information is in Docket Number: NHTSA-98-3397.
When changing the basic design of a headlamp bulb the way that placing a coating, filter or tinting can, the results can range from just color changes to reducing the emitted volume of light from a headlamp by almost half. For example, certain kinds of filters and coatings, while having the effect of reducing yellow light emission, are sometimes also very reflective. The result is that, instead of most of the light coming from the filament directly through the glass capsule and being used by the headlamp's optical design to have a focused beam down the road, the light bounces once or twice off the inner wall of the bulb. This causes strong images of the filament to be emitted from the capsule in directions and intensities never possible in the standardized OEM design. Because headlamps are designed to use standardized bulbs, the lighting performance of the headlamp could be markedly different, both impairing seeing down the road and causing others to have undue glare, when a modified, non-standardized bulb is substituted. Such poorly designed bulbs may also be a reason for the public's glare complaints.In contrast, if the bulb designer uses a more benign filter element, the inner bulb reflectivity may be substantially reduced or virtually eliminated. For a bulb that is intended to be whiter, less yellow light may be emitted, giving the light a whiter, even bluish light, but still white light as defined in various industrial and legal standards. To assure that this bulb emits the equivalent and correct volume of light compared to an OEM version, the filament design must be subtly changed, but not so much so that wattage increases above the acceptable limits required of a standard bulb. These careful changes may continue to make the bulb interchangeable with an OEM design without noticeable consequence other than whiter light.
Besides replacing the OEM bulbs with bulbs with the characteristics described above, it is possible to purchase whole headlamps and replacement lenses for those that are replaceable, that are tinted. Under our standards, these must comply, with our lighting standard but again, the blue, or other color, tinting may have similar adverse disturbing and disabling glare effects .
Another disturbing trend in this look-a-like phenomenon is the substitution of OEM filament headlamp bulbs with aftermarket HID conversion bulbs. The desire is to achieve the look and achieve the more robust performance of HIDs. While not designed to be interchangeable, some aftermarket companies are substantially altering the HID bulb bases or providing adapters so that the HID bulbs can be inserted in headlamps designed for filament bulbs. The consequence of making these substitutions is to adversely affect safety. Filament headlamps are optically designed for the volume of light and filament placement and other critical dimensions and performance that OEM filament bulbs have. The HID conversions result in two to three times the volume of light and potentially imprecise arc placement. Such conversions often result in beam patterns that behave nothing like the original filament beam pattern, cannot be reliably aimed, and have many times the permitted glare intensity. In informal conversations with persons who have tested such conversions, the light intensity on one at a point aimed toward oncoming drivers was 22 times the allowable intensity limit. Another lamp was more than 7 times too intense. With poor HID bulb and arc placement, the glare intensity could be significantly worse. Thus, the use of these conversions could be yet another source of the glare problems about which many drivers have complained.Regarding bluer light achieved by these filament bulbs, recent research (Sullivan, J.M. and Flannagan, M.J.: AVisual Effects of Blue-Tinted Tungsten-Halogen Headlamp Bulbs", Report No. UMTRI-2001-9, available in Docket: NHTSA-2001-8885-2) shows consistency with prior research, that discomfort glare ratings increase as the chromaticity moves toward the blue color range of the visible light spectrum. The authors also state that there is no evidence to show that target detection is enhanced with such blue colored headlamps, either in direct viewing or peripheral viewing of illuminated targets. This, essentially, shows that there likely is an inherent disbenefit from the use of such blue bulbs and headlamps that are intended to change the color of light emitted from headlamps. While one might assume that this also applies to the bluer HID powered OEM headlamps, the authors did not study this, nor speculate about it.
You're preaching to the choir, for the most part. Though this is still useful information, most people who determine that they would like to have this look simply disregard legality and do it anyway. Depending on the situation, I may or may not approve. For example, if the vehicle already has projectors for halogen lamps, frequently they can be modified to use HIDs without major effort and will in turn produce a nice, sharp cutoff along with drastically improved visibility for the driver. In other cases, such as standard reflectors found on the majority of vehicles, I would completely disapprove.
It's also a known fact that blue-tinted bulbs yield fewer actual lumens than non-coated bulbs, in addition to being a spectrum of light that is extremely difficult for your own eyes to process as it returns to the driver, making them doubly useless. Also, there are HID bulbs available which approach purple in color, which is again less useful to the eyes, in the mistaken belief that the light output of luxury cars is that color by default. The reality is that HIDs in the 3700k range or so produce a nearly-white light, and that only when viewed from an angle rather than straight-on do they appear blue or purple.
Quote from: MiataJohn on January 13, 2012, 08:14:20 AM
I though there was a problem with some bulbs being different which caused a problem, even in the stock housing.
From:
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
49 CFR Part 571
[Docket No. 01-8885; Notice 01]
RIN 2127-AH81
Glare from Headlamps and other Front Mounted Lamps
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108;
Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment
Link: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/glare.html I've put some of this below in bold.
It's an interesting paper, worth reading.
[Text wall]
Care to paraphrase?
I was talking about 850's post where he was talking about his presumably legal halogen bulbs, which can't be brighter than a certain threshold. Unless his lamps are aimed wrong, so no glare problems worse than stock.
See STi's post for my thoughts on HIDs and shit.
Quote from: Rupert on January 13, 2012, 08:25:29 PM
Care to paraphrase?
You mean summarize? It simply pointed out that many of the aftermarket replacement bulbs are poorly designed and cause more glare for other drivers and less road lighting for the guy buying them. I bolded the important stuff in the text I attached.
Alright, that's the jist I got from the two sentences I read. I spent all day thinking about technical problems, and really don't feel like continuing that trend by reading a bunch of technical stuff.
Looks like it was talking about HIDs mostly?
Really dumb question: My new LR2 is the first car I've had with Xenon HIDs. Out of curiosity, I put the year/make/model into a search and two bulbs, vastly different in price, came up. Can anyone tell me why one is $96 and one is $440?
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/Land_Rover/LR2/PIAA/Headlight_Bulb/2008/P2719995.html
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/Land_Rover/LR2/Hella/Headlight_Bulb/2008/H57H83074001.html
The more expensive one's physical dimensions are different; it is longer than the others. Does your car have a cluster of HIDs? My car has a projector HID for the primary headlights and incandescent high beams.
I'm not an HID guy, so I'm not sure, but the expensive one looks like it has the ballast or whatever it's called integrated with the bulb. I would think you wouldn't need that, because the ballast thingies should be part of the car somewhere else. The other two are two different types of plugs, and are just the bulb. One looks like a 9000-series bulb and the other looks like an H-series.
None of them look like they would fit the same thing. I think I would get them from somewhere else that isn't so vague.
Wow. I just glanced around the 'nets, and I still don't even know what kind of bulb the LR2 takes. All the sites that let you spec the car offer five or more bulb types for the headlights, some of them HID, some of them halogen, and none of them the same. 0_o
Good luck, Dan!
Quote from: Laconian on January 14, 2012, 02:32:20 PM
The more expensive one's physical dimensions are different; it is longer than the others. Does your car have a cluster of HIDs? My car has a projector HID for the primary headlights and incandescent high beams.
Same here. Low beams are HIDs, high beams are regular halogens/incandescents.
Quote from: Rupert on January 14, 2012, 02:45:29 PM
Wow. I just glanced around the 'nets, and I still don't even know what kind of bulb the LR2 takes. All the sites that let you spec the car offer five or more bulb types for the headlights, some of them HID, some of them halogen, and none of them the same. 0_o
Good luck, Dan!
LOL. Leave it to the British. Hope they don't blow out for a while!
I think I would ask the dealership, personally. Each type of bulb has a designation number, like 9006, or H2. If you figure out what kind you need, you can skip the B.S. and get the right kind of bulb. Don't fall for gimmicks.
Quote from: Rupert on January 14, 2012, 02:58:13 PM
I think I would ask the dealership, personally. Each type of bulb has a designation number, like 9006, or H2. If you figure out what kind you need, you can skip the B.S. and get the right kind of bulb. Don't fall for gimmicks.
Bulbs are not listed in the owner's manual?
:huh:
I don't think either of mine list the bulbs, but I'm note sure.
Sometimes cars come with a separate lighting manual that lists the bulbs. My old Spirit for example had a generic Chrysler lighting manual (and a separate radio manual) that listed all of the bulbs for every Chrysler product made at the time (save perhaps the Chrysler TC by Maserati).
Bulb burned out. $18 later, I have two new boring, but operational lights. I'm officially opting out of the "cool light bulb " club now. :lol:
The German magazine Auto Motor und Sport did a test of H4 bulbs. Of course your actual performance depends on your reflector, however they stated that a good bulb will always get the maximum out of what the reflector will allow, and a poor bulb will always be bad no matter how good the reflector is. They used a Ford Fiesta for the test.
(http://img4.auto-motor-und-sport.de/H4-Gluehlampen-Test-Tabelle-13-fotoshowImage-cb96d044-561950.jpg)
The difference between an excellent and a poor bulb:
Bosch Plus 90
(http://img4.auto-motor-und-sport.de/Bosch-Plus-90--13-fotoshowImage-722bf41d-561934.jpg)
Elektronicx Superwhite 4000K
(http://img3.auto-motor-und-sport.de/Elektronicx-Superwhite-4000-K--13-fotoshowImage-2d4a08f0-561944.jpg)
Can you translate the header on that table? Danke!
Quote from: Rupert on April 23, 2012, 09:03:24 PM
Can you translate the header on that table? Danke!
Leistung is the power consumption in W.
Lichtstrom is the luminous power of the bulb itself in Lumen.
Maximale Helligkeit is the near area brightness in Lux.
Messwert 75R, 50R, 50L gives the brightness in Lux 75 meters away to the right, 50m to the right , and 50m on the left.
Mittelwert is the average of the previous three with 75R being multiplied by 2.
Blendung is how much light oncoming drivers are are subjected to.
With the drive to Cheyoming occurring 100% at night, I'm finding that even the 65watt H7s and 100watt fogs aren't quite hacking it anymore for me. Going to go with an H7-rebased 4300k xenon kit. Yeah I know, hypocrite. I've seen how WRX optics work with these, which is to say quite well. If I need to I can get more intensive with a full-retrofit, but I'm going to give this kit a shot and see how it goes. If I need to, I can follow up with OE projectors and retrofit them into the stock housings without too much effort.
FWIW I bought this one: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=3893
I'm really impressed with the quality of the components. Need to take time Sunday afternoon to actually do the install; either than or next Tuesday. Today I just did some prep work in terms of clarifying the clear outer lamp housings which were starting to haze and yellow after 4.5 years in the sun. Plastic does that. Some polish and sealer and they're looking pretty clear again, other than pitting from years of winter driving. Down the road I may wet-sand them and seal them again. I'll take before/after pics so you guys can see at least the lens patterns and whatnot.
Well, no before pics forthcoming, but I'll post some after pics. I couldn't (and still can't) find my camera. But the install took about 2.5hrs altogether. Doing an actual retrofit will likely be more of a day-long operation since I need to remove the front bumper cover, both lamps, disassemble the lamps, etc. That'll be later in the year I think with Acura TSX projectors. (s2k projectors are slightly better, but very hard to find).
Next up will be the fogs, since they come from the factory with projector fogs, with 3000k (very yellow) HIDs. I may retrofit those from the get-go with new guts since the factory design runs hot enough to ruin 100watt H1 halogens in apparently 20 hours or less of use, no kidding.
Quote from: S204STi on May 30, 2012, 07:38:18 PM
With the drive to Cheyoming occurring 100% at night, I'm finding that even the 65watt H7s and 100watt fogs aren't quite hacking it anymore for me. Going to go with an H7-rebased 4300k xenon kit. Yeah I know, hypocrite. I've seen how WRX optics work with these, which is to say quite well. If I need to I can get more intensive with a full-retrofit, but I'm going to give this kit a shot and see how it goes. If I need to, I can follow up with OE projectors and retrofit them into the stock housings without too much effort.
;)
Quote from: Gotta-Qik-G8 on June 01, 2012, 05:35:28 AM
;)
Fuck you. :lol:
(Hey, at least I have projectors to begin with!)
Overall impressed with the results. Needs retrofitted projectors to make the most of the roadside visibility capabilities of Xenon, but downrange visibility is notably improved. Now it's time to see how it does in the rain/fog.
ME TOO! :lol:
Quote from: Gotta-Qik-G8 on June 01, 2012, 03:03:39 PM
ME TOO! :lol:
Yeah, I was only giving you shit for the 6000k bulbs, honestly. :lol: 4300k feels perfect to my eyes, but whatsoever floatest thine boat.
Also, no lens flares or other shit that I can tell with the existing projectors, so I feel good about not bothering other motorists any more than usual with this sort of output. I know it's going to bug some people either way, a lot of motorists hate oncoming Xenon HIDs. To me they're part of the normal landscape at night now, so it's not a bother.
True! Have you seen how bright the HIDs are in The Cadillac DTS? They're projectors but they throw light everywhere!
:facepalm:
Ricer.
:lol:
:lol:
When I get the projectors retrofitted I'll feel less guilty about it.
Quote from: Gotta-Qik-G8 on June 01, 2012, 03:11:33 PM
True! Have you seen how bright the HIDs are in The Cadillac DTS? They're projectors but they throw light everywhere!
Yes. Those things are SO fucking bright that I'm not even sure how they're legal. On more than one occasion have I flashed some super-bright, oncoming HIDs, only to be returned with an even
brighter flash back...then once they've gone by, I see the unmistakable line of LEDs going up the rear. Yup, there goes another DTS.